Students at Great Salt Bay Community School will soon have easier access to water throughout the day thanks to the work of fourth-grader Mitchell Straus.
Straus presented his proposal for a new water cooler to the Great Salt Bay School Committee at its Oct. 14 meeting, a project he has been passionately pursuing for more than three years.
Straus read from a letter he had written to Principal Kim Schaff the previous year. In the letter, Straus said he first asked Schaff about providing water in the cafeteria two years prior when he heard Lincoln Academy had installed a new water fountain. The fountain allowed students to fill up reusable water bottles to carry throughout the day, something Straus was interested in seeing put in place at Great Salt Bay.
“Right now, to access water you have to stand up and walk through the hallway to get a sip of water from the fountain,” Straus said.
Straus pointed out the health benefits of drinking water, including fighting obesity and improving the ability to focus and learn during the school day.
“If you’re not drinking water, you might be drinking other things that aren’t as healthy for you,” Straus said.
While he was in third grade, Straus conducted a survey of the students in the third-grade classes. He reported to the committee that most of the students said they would want to have water available in the cafeteria.
Straus spoke with maintenance supervisor Mark Hagar about possible locations for the water fountain in the cafeteria and researched different fountain types that would allow for students to drink from as well as fill reusable water bottles. He found a fountain that cost $1,765. Hagar told Straus it would cost $750 to install the fountain, bringing the total cost of the project to $2,515.
Schaff reminded the committee that after speaking to Straus last year, $2,000 had been set aside in the 2015-2016 school budget for a water fountain.
“You were quite convincing when we spoke last year,” Schaff told Straus.
Straus proposed possible solutions to cover the remaining cost of installing the fountain, including writing a letter to the water fountain company and requesting donations from local businesses. Straus also suggested the PTO could sell reusable water bottles for the students to use as a fundraiser.
“The kids could use the bottles to drink out of during the day and reuse them to minimize waste,” Straus said.
Both Schaff and the committee expressed support for Straus’ proposal.
“We’re completely behind you on this one,” said committee member Conor Smith. “You’ve done some very good work.”
